Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / Cognitive Foundations of Metaphorical Transfer in Terminological Systems: The Earth Sciences Case

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Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2026 19 (2)
Authors
Mariasova, Elena P.; Paderina, Tatiana S.; Sverdlova, Nataliya A.
Contact information
Mariasova, Elena P. : The Federal Research Centre A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry of the Siberian Brunch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Irkutsk, Russian Federation); ; ORCID: 0000-0002-3504-9416; Paderina, Tatiana S. : The Federal Research Centre A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry of the Siberian Brunch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Irkutsk, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0000-0002-2603-6242; Sverdlova, Nataliya A. : The Federal Research Centre A. E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry of the Siberian Brunch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Irkutsk, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0000-0002-5315-6266
Keywords
metaphorization; metaphorical transfer; scientific discourse; cognitive linguistics; metalanguages; terminology; geological terminological system
Abstract

The relevance of this research is determined by the necessity to describe the role of metaphorization within the mobile dynamic space of scientific knowledge domains, particularly in the development of contemporary geology, as well as by insufficient attention to analytical systems examining the cognitive foundations of metaphorical transfer that shapes geological discourse. The investigation is based on the application of key cognitive mechanisms defined by G. Lakoff and M. Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory and G. Fauconnier and M. Turner’s conceptual integration theory. We emphisize quantitative analysis of metaphor usage in scientific discourse, whose results reveal an active process of verbal accommodation between specialized knowledge and everyday conceptual domains to facilitate effective communication. The proposed classification of semantic derivation methods for terminological units within a single scientific discipline has enabled the identification of conceptual-metaphorical foundations underlying linguistic units in scientific texts and the analysis of their formation processes. The study examined a corpus of Earth Sciences texts (geology and geoecology) compiled specifically for this research, covering the period from 2018 to 2024. The examination of mechanisms underlying term formation through secondary nomination via metaphorization in geological discourse contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of geoscientific terminological systems. The novelty of this work lies in the systematic classification of primary criteria governing metaphorical transfer of features between semantic domains as an indicator of terminological system dynamism. This research opens possibilities for developing conceptual- metaphorical models for specific scientific disciplines, based on careful analysis of the metaphors that scientists employ when constructing scientific discourse

Pages
374–387
EDN
ZXKDDX
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/158159

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